in: i; MIT Tin; t si/. 



DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



.Y<'x/x, composed outwardly of dried i;rassi's. twins. leaves and mosses; rather smoothly lined with finer grasses, 

 mosses, and Mlirons roots. It is well prop >i-;ii>nr,l to the size of the bird. Dimensions. External diameter, 5-00 

 inrhrs; internal, 2 .10 inrhrs. Kxirnial depth, 3-00 inches; internal, 2-00 Inches. 



, rather elongated in form; pale green in color, generally unspotted. Dimensions, fronr88.v60 to 92x - C5. 



HABITS. 



Ths Hermit Thrush nukes its appearance in Florida about the first of December, and soon 

 scatters over the nniii land of the slat '. It frequents the dense undergrowth of the hummocks, 

 when; il tn iv I),- s TII s Tatching am >ng the dociying leaves and other <l,'->n-!x in search of insects. 

 It is very unsnspieioua while in these Southern wilds; sometimes an individual would come into 

 pur camp, when we chanced to pitch our tents near a thicket, and, perching upon a box or barrel, 

 ga/.i' at us inquisitively, occasionally raising and than lowering its tail, while it gave vent to its 

 astonishment by a low chirp. Tiiey are very numerous; every hummock and thicket has its 

 share; they even inhabit the bushy edges of the thick palmetto swamps, the dark and dismal 

 recesses of which arc seldom visited by any birds, excepting the nocturnal species. All winter 

 they flit silently am >ng the luxuriant vegetation of Florida, revelling throughout the season amid 

 dowers, in a climate which cannot b;> surpassed. But when the cool, refreshing north winds 

 eease to blow, and the burning heat of tha tropics comas over the land, the Hermit prompted 

 by instinct, or guided by reason, for who can tell which, commences its steady march northward. 

 The old males go first, followed by the young males and the females, so that by the middle of 

 April not one is to be found within the limits of the state. 



The earliest migrants arrive in Massachusetts the first week in April ; others continue to 

 come until the first of May, when, with the exception of a few individuals, they have all passed 

 to the great breeding grounds in the woods of the North. While migrating in the spring this 

 Thrush is somewhat shy and retiring, generally keeping in the swamps. At this season it has 

 no song, except ing the low note of alarm, but in its homo among the hemlocks and spruces it is 

 far different in this respect; there it sings finely. 



I well remember that I first heard its song at Hyannis, in Southeastern Massachusetts, 

 during the last week in June, when in company with my friends, Messrs. Win. Brewster and 

 F. P. Atkinson. We were walking in a field, near one of those woods, composed of low scrubby 

 trees, which cover a large portion of this section of the state, when Mr. Brewster exclaimed, 

 " Hear that Hermit Thrush !" We listened for a moment for a repetition of the song, which his 

 quick ear had detected, and soon heard the clear, boll-like notes, coming from the far depths 

 of the wood, through the still morning air. The scene was peculiar, and the song thus became 

 associated with it, and will not soon be forgotten. The bird sang well, but the song lacked 

 the accompanying loud, ringinir echo heard to perfection in the deep, heavily wooded valleys of 

 Northern New Kngland. 



Although it breeds sparsely at Hyannis and in some other sections of Massachusetts, its true 

 home is farther north. Here, in the dense shade of the evergreens, amid the giant trunks which 

 stand around like sentinels, it builds its nest upon the ground by the side of some moss-grown 

 log. The situations chosen are generally upon some gently sloping hillside, and the nest is 

 placed in .such a position as to be hidden, especially if the brown-backed mother bird be upon it. 

 She sits very closelv, as if aware of this fact; generally not starting until the intruder is about 

 to tread upon her, when she will flit silently to the cover of some thicket, and remain concealed 

 for this species, like the Olive-backed, is not very assiduous in defending its nest, even when 

 it contains young. Thev exercise great judgment in selecting material with which to cover the 

 outside of the ne.-t, so that it may not readily be di-covcred. One which I found built on the 

 upper side of a prostrate mossy log, was sunk into the decaying wood so that the top was on 



..I [ i.niMlil. 



